Ex-Boston mob boss was inspiration for The Departed

James 'Whitey' Bulger, once the most feared mobster in Boston who was found guilty today of 31 out of the 32 criminal charges he faced including 11 killings, was the inspiration for Jack Nicholson's character in The Departed.

The Martin Scorsese film, which also starred Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Wahlberg and Ray Winstone, won four Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director.

The plot centres around the police waging war on an Irish-American Boston gang which is headed by Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson).